X-Dreamers
Bible chapter guide
Ezekiel 43
The glory of the God of Israel comes from the east, the earth shining with it, and fills the temple. 'This is the place of my throne, where I will dwell among the children of Israel for ever.' The altar is measured and the rites for its consecration given.
Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.
See it in the Labs
- Solomon's TempleThe bronze altar · Solomon's TempleOpen
- Temples Side by SideEzekiel's visionary temple · Temples Side by SideOpen
- Temples Side by SideStacked on one spot · Temples Side by SideOpen
Also in this chapter
How sure can we be?
- Strongly supported
The house faced east, with the most holy place at the west end.
The Tabernacle's gate faced east and Ezekiel's temple faces east; the text of Kings does not state the direction outright, but the placing of the Sea 'on the right side of the house eastward' assumes it.
- Plausible
The priests reach the top by a ramp on the south side.
Exodus 20:26 forbids steps up to the altar; a ramp is the traditional answer (Mishnah Middot 3:3). Ezekiel's visionary altar, however, has steps facing east (Ezekiel 43:17).
- Speculative
The altar is drawn as a stepped bronze-cased block with horns at the corners.
Its form is not described; Ezekiel's altar (43:13–17) has ledges narrowing upward, and horned altars are known from Israelite sites such as Beersheba.